Perceived Injustice and Sports Violence

Abstract

The preceding comments could readily be applied to contemporary American society in general. We were referring, however, specifically to organized sports. In this chapter we examine the relationship between justice and violence in sports. Aggression, in both sports and society, is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes. It is our contention, first, that a sense of perceived injustice is an important cause of many instances of sports violence and, second, that adopting carefully considered measures which increase the perception of fairness and justice in sports could reduce excessive aggression. In this chapter, a framework is presented which describes different sources of perceived injustice in sports. Based on this framework we offer several suggestions about how to make sports fairer, and by implication, less violent. We also examine the contention that, although sports can be made more fair and hence less violent, society could learn much from sports in terms of how to construct a fair system of justice.

Keywords

Income Expense Smoke Stein Arena

Numerous observers are troubled by the frequency and magnitude of violent acts and needless aggression. Many of these acts can only be understood by examining the issues of fairness and justice which underlie them. Indeed, increasing fairness and justice should reduce the occurrence of violent, aggressive acts.